Man jailed for hiding 'significant amount' of cannabis under child's bed

A man who hid a large amount of cannabis herb underneath his child’s bed has been jailed for three and half years.

Dean Smith (30) of Killinarden Heights, Tallaght, Dublin, pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to possession of 19kg of cannabis herb, valued at €359,000, at his home on November 11, 2021.

The investigating garda told John Quirke BL prosecuting that a warrant was secured to search Smith’s home during which the drugs were found underneath a child’s bed. A further stash of the drugs was found in a drawer in the same room.

Smith confirmed that his son slept in the room and that the drugs were his and he had placed them there.

He had a previous conviction from the district court in relation to a separate drug offence. 

The investigating garda agreed with Garnet Orange SC, defending, that his client had run up a drug debt owing to his own cocaine addiction.

Mr Orange asked Judge Martin Nolan to take into account his client’s admissions to the gardaí.

He said his client has since made “significant efforts” to rehabilitate and took care of his children while his wife worked. He also played a role in caring for his father.

“He is a warehouse man rather than a more significant cog in the entire system,” Mr Orange submitted, before he added that Smith was not in control of the quantity of drugs that would be delivered to him. 

Judge Nolan accepted evidence that Smith was well regarded by his family and had a responsibility to his father and children.

He further accepted that there was “good and strong mitigation in the case” in that Smith had co-operated with the garda investigation and entered an early guilty plea.

Judge Nolan said while Smith had a lesser involvement in the offence, he was “a mature man who had involved himself in this criminal enterprise”, before he imposed a sentence of three and half years.